Eid al-Fitr, also known as the Feast of Sweets or Ramadan Bayram, is a religious holiday celebrated for three days after the end of the month of Ramadan. It is celebrated on the first three days of the month of Shawwal, the 10th month of the Islamic calendar, and is one of the most important, sweet, significant holidays in the Muslim world.
Ramadan Bayram was called Eid al-Fitr during the Ottoman period. Eid means feast. Fitr, which means "to break fast," is also a charity known as "fitr alms" or "fitre," which is obligatory for rich Muslims to give to the poor during Ramadan. It is also known as "şükür" (thanks) charity.
According to one claim, "şükür" in time has turned into "şeker" (sweet) over time. According to another claim, the Feast of Sweets is based on the tradition of starting the Ramadan Feast by eating dates and candies.
This holiday is celebrated to complete the worship of fasting, which is one of the five pillars of Islam, and to be thankful for the blessings of Allah.
Eid al-Fitr is celebrated by Muslims around the world.
The holiday celebration differs according to each country and its traditions. Usually, however, Muslims gather with their families, perform Eid prayers, and give gifts to children and their relatives. In addition, special meals and desserts are made to celebrate the holiday.
Ramadan Bayram is a holiday that reinforces brotherhood and solidarity. Social and cultural differences are set aside and the feast is celebrated together.
Let's talk briefly about the preparations for the feast and the traditions of the feed in Türkiye.
In the last week of Ramadan, preparations begin in many houses, Muslims attach great importance to cleanliness and houses are usually cleaned before the feast.
Shopping is done for the holiday; new clothes are bought; it is very important to dress cleanly and pay attention to personal cleanliness in Islam. For this reason, it is sunnah – a tradition of the Prophet Muhammad – to wear new and clean clothes on special occasions such as Eid. Sunnah is the name given to the words, actions and approvals of the Prophet Muhammad that stand alongside the commands of the Quran, which is defined as obligatory in Islam.
Eid gifts are prepared, gift giving is important in Islamic belief, and special attention is paid to giving gifts on special days or holidays. Everyone receives small gifts within their means and distributes them to their family, friends and neighbors.
A lot of sweets and desserts are consumed during the holiday; these sweets are specially prepared to increase the enthusiasm and joy of the holiday. Let's list only some of them.
Baklava: Baklava is one of the most consumed desserts during the bayram. Baklava, a dessert with syrup, is prepared with hazelnuts, walnuts or pistachios.
Şekerpare: Şekerpare is a delicious dessert with its soft dough and sherbet. It is garnished with ground pistachios or coconut.
Lokum: Lokum is one of the traditional Turkish desserts, so much so that it is known as a Turkish delight. It is a colorful and cube-shaped dessert with powdered sugar on it. There are different varieties. It is usually consumed with a cup of Turkish coffee.
Semolina Halva: Semolina halva is a common dessert with flour, semolina, sugar and milk.
Revani: Revani is a syrupy dessert; lemon juice is often added to flavor it. It is served with cream or hazelnuts.
Kadayıf: Kadayıf is a dessert prepared by wrapping walnuts or pistachios in thin, stringy dough. It is served with syrup.
Tulumba: Tulumba is one of the most popular sorbet desserts. The dessert, made with fresh dough, is fried in hot oil and then sweetened with syrup.
These desserts, consumed during Ramadan Bayram, are offered to those who visit to enjoy the feast. These sweets also increase the enthusiasm for the holiday by reinforcing the boundaries of solidarity and brotherhood.
Of course, the offerings to guests are not limited to desserts. It is an important tradition to feed the guests who visit with prepared wraps, water pastries, meat and rice duos, various dishes according to the season, fruits and cookies and offer various drinks and syrup.
Turks are known to be very hospitable; when this feature is combined with the holiday and when you visit a few people during the day, you may be so full you won't be able to breathe.
On the morning of the bayram, we get up early, wear our best clothes, celebrate with our family at home, and then men go to the bayram prayer. After the Eid prayer, the sermon is read, the mosque community celebrates, and because the prayer is quite early, breakfast is usually served afterward.
Special foods are prepared for the morning on the first day of bayram, and a variety of foods much wider than a normal breakfast is placed on the table.
After breakfast, the children go out to collect candy or pocket money from neighbors by going door to door. Children who come to the door are given candy or small pocket money in a handkerchief.
Then, visiting close relatives and neighbors begins with the family's elders. During these visits, cologne, sweets, various foods and candies are usually offered.
In Islamic countries, days including the Arafa, the day before Eid, and Ramadan Bayram are public holidays. Those whose family or loved ones are far away can travel comfortably on this occasion. Although there are different practices in other countries, some large companies and government institutions outside of Islamic countries also give holiday leave to their Muslim employees.
Resentments are often overcome during the bayram; everyone approaches each other with tolerance. We reunite with the loved ones that we haven't seen for a long time with the excuse of a holiday and we catch up with loved ones and those we missed.
There are also many people who visit their deceased relatives' graves during the holiday.
I wish you a happy holiday and hope the joy of these days is with you always.
